This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Don't Believe the Hype

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The scene in Bill Forsyth's 1981 film Gergory's Girl that goes a long way in cementing just how special, just how close it is to the work of genius, is the one in which, on preparation for a date with a girl, the lead male character is reminded of a joke that is what we perceive as a really dirty and unnecessary one given the scenario. The lead, sitting there struggling to recall it, suddenly does so and bursts out laughing. Such is the brilliance of the comedy in Gergory's Girl, that one of the best sequences of comedy is, in fact, one in which a joke is established to exist but never revealed thus acting as a moment of comedy all by itself. In this sequence, the boundaries between what can be classed as good, quality coming-of-age comedy and mindless, puerile coming-of-age comedy are established. Whereas many in numbers but lesser in greatness coming-of-age comedies from more recent times enjoy piling on smut and vulgarity, Gregory's Girl is able to establish such a thing exists within the universe of these characters but, crucially, amongst all the funny stuff going on around it, is able to produce laughs out of it without ever actually resorting to it. This is something more recent films of this ilk do from the off and rely on as a genuine source of humour throughout; without actually getting anywhere.The film takes place in and around a Scottish school and sees youngster Gergory (Sinclair) whittle away his days milling in and around the premises of this school, in which he will go to class; talk to friends and spend a lot of his time playing football. Things change with the introduction of Dorothy (Hepburn), a girl that stumbles into Gregory's world when it appears she wants to be a member of the football team. Like her eventual role in Gregory's life, she is clinical and the centre of all the attention in her role on the field, as her striking ability raises eyebrows. Forsyth's film is light-hearted and jovial, taking universal subject matter and looking at a pretty important point in a young man's life whilst opting to journey it down a route of soft core and fairly light comedy whilst systematically dealing with pretty serious issues of gender equality and acceptance. In short, the man pulls everything off rather effortlessly.Indeed, the film opens with a shot of Dorothy jogging but it is only her silhouette by way of a long shot we observe her. If the film revolves around Gregory and his tribulations, then the film does a good job in establishing a sense of distance between viewer and object of the protagonist's desire. This, as the use of a silhouette renders the jogging figure close to angelic, not necessarily a prize that needs to be reigned in, but a figure zipping along at a distance in which that sense of the unattainable and the beautiful are both captured at once. The film establishes Gregory's thinking during the film's point of attack as that of one that isn't necessarily attuned to what it is that's around him, indeed, he likes football and girls but doesn't seem to put an awful lot of thought into them; somewhat dismissive of football as "just entertainment, for fun". Despite this, football and football practise will take on a more important role for him with Dorothy's introduction to the team when the two items he's interested in most clash.The film's attitude toward gender will see a girl play football to a rather high level and consequently provide us with a male character in the form of Steve (Greenlees) as an individual whom looks as if he's at the top of his game in the art of cooking and culinary activity. This having of a male dominate the kitchen space, indeed he corrects a female character on whether it ought to be female dominated, as well as a female do the same thing to a football field could be read into as a going against generic gender roles in society. But the film is more preoccupied with Grgory's plight of discovery, and the little things that come with observing and getting to know the girl more and more. Through Dorothy, he attempts to learn the Italian language by way of joining a class and fast-tracking most of it out of eagerness mixed with desperation; this, as he comes to terms with the thoughts and feelings that accompany wanting to ask the girl out on a date and confines in his younger sister for advice.I think there's real heart in Gregory's Girl, a sweet exploration of a character who seems to fumble his way through life but comes to realise certain things. There is a shot nearer the end which echoes the film's opening, that of a girl shot in silhouette from a relatively long standpoint, only Gregory this time accompanies her in what is an item linked to the very first sequence of the film. With Gregory's presence this time apparent, there is that sense that he's earned the right to share the 'space', which was once seemingly elusive, as these two people are framed in the same manner. As far as coming of age tales that fall into the realms of comedy go, Gregory's Girl has more than enough laughs as well as a genuine fondness for its characters of whom it pays close attention to, indeed enough to recommend over a good number of other films of this ilk.

Watching 'Gregory's Girl' for the first time in over two decades, one is immediately struck by reminders of when it was made: the grainy film, the dreadful soundtrack, the big hair of both its male and female characters. But one is soon also reminded of why it proved such a massive hit, in spite of it's low budget, unpretentious nature. For at its heart, Bill Forsyth's film captures two eternal realities, the (potentially charming) essential uselessness of a certain sort of teenage male, and the particular uselessness of just about all males when confronted by a sufficiently pretty girl (Dee Hepburn, although Clare Grogan, later a pop star, appears in a secondary role). But the gentle narrative eschews the obvious cliché, and it's also nice to see a story set in a Scottish housing scheme that isn't just a tale of drugs and A.I.D.S. It still feels funny and true after almost thirty years.

I love this movie, and in re-watching it again I was impressed by Allison Forster's performance as Madeline. However, in looking on the internet, this appears to be her only work. Does anyone know what became of her? I would have hoped that someone that talented would have moved on, but I found nothing. This movie is a gem. I try to watch it once a year because it brings back long-forgotten memories of what it was like to ask for your first date, the awkwardness of the first kiss, and the whole new dimension of relating to the opposite sex. Thanks for any information you have on Allison, if only I had had a sister like that... davidjanmellinger@yahoo.com

As a British adolescent at the time this film was released, I was very grateful for it. As with most British movies, it's shot like crap but you know, it really doesn't matter when the script and the performances complement one another so well.I've grown up with it and still find something to smile about every time, much the same way that I do when listening to Jonathan Richman's mid-80's albums Rockin and Romance and Jonathan Sings.There's a really beautiful balance of knowing and naivety in most of the characters. Whilst the very slight main plot featuring Dorothy and the football team was what the publicists concentrated on, it's Gregory and the supporting characters who hold all of it's charm. They continue what Forsyth had captured in debut That Sinking Feeling and which, tragically, he never seems to have recaptured.